On Friday, May 30, God-willing, four men will be ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Madison.
The Ordination Mass will take place at St. Maria Goretti Church, 5313 Flad Ave., Madison, at 7 p.m., where Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison is scheduled to ordain Deacons Brad Grobbel, David Jaramillo, William Kearley, and Ryan Ruhle as priests.
For Deacon Grobbel, son of Gloria and Gary Grobbel and will be a priest-son of Epiphany of the Lord Parish in Sun Prairie, his discernment journey has been one of blessings and gratitude.
“I am so blessed to know Jesus Christ, and even more blessed to soon be called His priest,” Deacon Grobbel said.
“It is an honor to be a part of such an awesome legacy that is His Catholic Church. It will be amazing to call myself a helper in distributing His grace through the sacraments. I stand on the shoulders of giants who have passed on the faith, and have personally walked with me and supported me over the years.”
He added that “I am forever indebted to the Diocese of Madison, St. Francis de Sales Seminary, my family, and my friends who have shown me the path to faith. Thank you, dear Jesus! Help me to be a good priest!”
Deacon Jaramillo, son of Maribel and Alcivar Jaramillo and will be a priest-son of St. Augustine University Parish in Platteville, is grateful for his formation during his seminary years.
“The Lord has been so good to me!” he said.
“In these six years of priestly formation, the Lord has formed my heart and has shared His Sacred Heart with me.
“It has not always been easy, but God’s Providence has been so evident, with an even more abundant share of His Spirit that has helped and guided me.”
He added that “I can’t wait to be ordained, to lay down my life for the Church, and to be ever more configured to Christ, our High and Eternal Priest.
Deacon Kearley’s path was different from his brother deacons.
Following the death of his wife, Betsy, in 2009, he served as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Rockford, after having ordained in 2020.
He soon discerned a call to the priesthood.
“I feel very blessed that Bishop Hying is giving me the opportunity to become a priest, he said.
“I can’t imagine a better way I could spend the rest of my life and have been very impressed by the generous and selfless nature of all the young men I have met in the seminary.”
He added that “All I want to do is help people feel loved by God and fall in love with God and I look forward to serving God’s people with all my future brother priests.”
Deacon Ruhle is the son of Veronica and Robert Ruhle and the priest-son of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Madison.
Reflecting on his journey to the priesthood, he quoted Psalm 116, asking, “How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?”.
Expressing gratitude, he said, “I thank God for all that He has given me in my life, especially the gift to know Jesus Christ the Lord.
“I want others to share this Life, which does not end in death but continues for eternity.”
He added that “As a priest, Christ gives me a special share in His mysterious plan of salvation and of His three-fold office as Priest, Prophet, and King.
“God has no need of our praise and is constantly ministered to by thousands upon thousands of angels. Yet, God has chosen simple men, weak as we are, to be His priests because we, like Christ, can sympathize with weakness.”
He went on to say that “I am so blessed that God has called me to share in His holy priesthood, and I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use me to bring others into His own Divine Life.”
Continue to pray for these men — and the Diocese of Madison — as they begin their lives as priests.